Ken Reeve considered in passing taking his family and hiding in the hills of Doona so they wouldn't have to leave. He didn't do that and really didn't consider it too seriously, would you have dismissed the idea so fast?

Unlike the idea to slaughter the cats, that idea I would have seriously considered. Maybe that's the fault of reading a loving "Remnant Population" by Elizabeth Moon, where an 80-something lady does just that!

I can understand Ken being tempted, but I can see why he would probably have rejected the idea, even if he had not been such an honourable idealist regarding the Non-Cohabitation Principle. Doona may have been an idyllic world, and it might have been possible for one or two families to make a life for themselves, even in isolation. But consider the future for the kids. They would have had very few options regarding their own lives, being effectively outlaws, and a seriously reduced gene pool.

That's a very good point Linmag! The situation in Remnant Population was completely different, as the main character had already raised a family and just wanted to spend the rest of her days in a place she knew and loved.